User talk:Z hou-MGCR331

At most two decades ago, internet, almost unknown to most people outside academic and government institution, was hard to be expected to become an essential part of ordinary people’s everyday life – both personal and business; let alone to say wireless fidelity access! However, it is now so popular that mobile technology has already made its way onto airplanes and commuter rail trains as well as automobiles due to rapid development of mobile technology. Internet addicts can really enjoy these exciting benefits without wasting their time during travel, though many challenges they still have to face. The first field in which mobile technology use is applied is airplane. At 30,000ft above, travelers can still stay in contact with their business colleagues and friends by using the on-board satellite telephone system. On board, end users of Boeing can connect to a Wi-Fi access point which then connects to a network of satellites to backhaul the data. JetBlue, a low-cost carrier based in New York, launched a free but limited Wi-Fi data service on one of its Airbus A320 aircraft. [Anthony Plewes]. Passengers using Wi-Fi-enabled laptops can use Yahoo!'s mail and instant-messaging services; those with Wi-Fi-capable Blackberries can get their e-mail during their flight [Mobile phones on planes]. Similar to airplane, train operators like GNER and Virgin have also launched an internet-train system. Apart from free offer of Wi-Fi access in many waiting lounges, the train companies in UK also installed the new system on aboard of a number of intercity trains. For instance, the GNER service is provided by Icomera, which handles backhaul with a combination of satellite and 3G/GPRS. [Anthony Plewes]. However, a significant challenge the new system has to face is how to connect the moving trains to the fixed internet. Either option of mobile(GSM/GPRS, 3G) or application of satellite which means there may be less bandwidth available for internet access than there is in fixed deployments of Wi-Fi, does not seem to have solved this technical problem soundly; coverage is patchy at best, limited to cities and towns. Speed of travel is also an issue: 3G struggles with extremely fast moving terminals so hurtling up the West Coast mainline at more than 100mph may result in substantial data loss. [Anthony Plewes] While communications in trains and planes are focused on enabling business travelers to work more productively, the developments in in-car communications centre on getting drivers to their destinations more quickly and more efficiently. The most common new in-car technology is Bluetooth systems that charge mobile phone, PDA, MP3 player or other devices and let drivers control them through voice activation or by using buttons on the steering wheel [Wikipedia]. Leaders like VW's Passats can be outfitted with Nokia's in-car Bluetooth system. [Anthony Plewes] In-car navigation maps are typically downloaded from the user's PC and stored locally. Live traffic updates are an exception. These are available as an additional extra for navigation hardware such as Tom Tom. Also, drivers can have fast internet access while on the road, although they have to pull over since it is illegal to use mobiles while driving. Many challenges though it may face, mobile technology, ultimately, are getting more and more advanced. For example, technology from European Space Agency is used by Thales for a wireless broadband internet service on board high speed trains [Scientific blogging]. In the future, human kinds will benefit much more from the contribution of mobile technology. References Anthony Plewes, Business Traveller: Staying connected on planes, trains and automobiles, 2006 available from http://www.silicon.com/research/specialreports/travel/0,3800011481,39159265,00.htm Mobile phones on planes Dec 15th 2007 From The Economist print edition available from http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10312057 Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluetooth#Bluetooth_profiles Scientific blogging, May 13th 2008, available from http://www.scientificblogging.com/news_releases/space_technology_gets_train_passengers_high_speed_internet Guy J Kewney, On-train Internet: should operators go with satellite? Or trackside Wife? 01 June 2007 Available from http://www.newswireless.net/index.cfm/article/3409 --Z hou-MGCR331 (talk) 22:37, 30 October 2008 (UTC)